Sunday, January 22, 2012

Happy Birthday, Roxy

Roxy joined our family at the end of March 2011. She was born January 22, 2011, so today we celebrate her birthday!

We previously had a cat for 14 years, so getting a puppy was a bit of a shock.

We quickly came to realize that looking after a puppy was a lot like bringing home a new born baby.

We also had to deal with a daughter who was very jealous of the puppy and we found that she took to urinating in the house on the floor to prove that point. Oh, and she was also caught peeing by the fire hydrant on the corner of our lawn. Luckily, she came to understand that the puppy was not replacing her, but that Roxy was a pet addition to our home.

Roxy began to grow really quickly, and she became larger than we expected her to be. Roxy loves her family and (we think) that she is really lonely when we aren't at home. She gets so excited to see us come back through the door. Which really makes us smile, after all cats don't seem to pay much attention to whether or not your at home, so this is a big change.

Jillian and Roxy enjoying spring flowers

Matthew and Roxy exploring the conservation area during the fall

Emily and Roxy at Christmas time

I can say without a doubt that Roxy has fit in wonderfully with our family. She is well loved and definitely soaks all that love up. She does really well with the kids and tolerates a lot from them. It is hard to believe she is officially no longer a puppy after today.

So cute! Happy birthday puppy! I miss having a dog, I can't have a dog in the condo I rent (booo), and I love and miss my parents' dog (Chelsea) now that I live away from home. When I go home to visit my family, Chelsea follows me around everywhere and we get a good snuggle in on the couch, haha.

Dogs are A LOT of work, that's for sure! Though I do miss having one, and am sad I can't have one here, I also recognize that it wouldn't be the best for a dog to live in a condo... I'll wait until I have a backyard before getting a dog of my own. Luckily, as a teacher, I can work pretty great hours so having a pet is worth it.